After three rounds of the 2007 Otago Chess Club championship, the A grade has a surprise co-leader in Hamish Gold. With three straight wins the bottom ranked Gold shares the lead with second seed John Sutherland. The B grade lead is also shared, between Chris Lydiate and Anthony Ritchie on 2½/3.
Today's game is Gold's third win over third seed Duncan Watts. It features the type of forthright attacking play with white pieces that has won many points for Hamish over the years.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. c4 Qc7 6. Nc3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. O-O Be7 9. Be3 d6 10. f4 O-O
So far we have had a Taimanov Sicilian leading to a fairly typical 'hedgehog' position. The usual strategy for White here would be restrain Black's freeing pawn moves ...b5 and ...d5 with a move like 11 Rc1 or 11 Bf3 and slowly trying to turn his space advantage into an attack. Gold opts for the more direct attacking route, exposing his own king. 11. g4!? Rd8 12. g5 Ne8 13. Qe1 Bf8?!
Unnecessarily defensive. Black should be activating his queenside by either 13...Rb8 & 14..b6, or exchanging knights on d4 followed by Bd7-c6. 14. Rf3 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 f5
Though stopping the perennial threat of f4-f5-f6, this move creates new weaknesses on the a2-g8 diagonal. 16. Qf2 Qf7 17. exf5 exf5 18. Re3 Be6 19. Bf3! Kh8?!
Not 19...Bxc4? 20 b3 and the bishop cannot move without losing Black's queen to a pin on d5. Now c4 is threatened but Black's last chance for counterplay lay in 19...Nc7! bolstering d5 & e6 and activating his pieces after 20 Bxb7 Rab8 21 Bg2 Bxc4 22 b3 Be6. 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 Qh5 22. Bf3! Qf7 23. Qh4! Nc7 24. Be2?! ---
Gold's feel for this type of position shows in that he ignores several opportunities to take the b7 pawn, encroaching on the kingside instead. But here he misses a chance to end the game with 25 Bh5! Qg8! (25 ... Qxc4 26 Bg6 Qg8 27 Rh3 forces mate) 26 Bg6 and Black can only temporarily prevent the mating plan of 27 Rh3, 28 Bxh7 Q moves 29 Bg6+ etc by giving up his knight with 26 ... Ne6. 25. --- Ne6?!
Instead 25 ... Kg8! allowing 26 Rh3 to be met by g6 was better. 25. Rh3 Qg8 26. Bc3 Be7?
The only way to prolong the game was the pawn sac 26...d5! 27 cxd5 Bc5+ 28 Kf1 Nf8 freeing the queen from defending h7. With the black royalty bottled up in the corner, White calmly brings up his reserves. Black is helpless. 27. Bf3 Nc7 28. Re1 Re8 29. Bh5 h6 30. Bxe8 Rxe8 31. Qxh6+
Going for Gold
Problem: White to play and mate in three.
After three rounds of the 2007 Otago Chess Club championship, the A grade has a surprise co-leader in Hamish Gold. With three straight wins the bottom ranked Gold shares the lead with second seed John Sutherland. The B grade lead is also shared, between Chris Lydiate and Anthony Ritchie on 2½/3.
Today's game is Gold's third win over third seed Duncan Watts. It features the type of forthright attacking play with white pieces that has won many points for Hamish over the years.
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nc6
5. c4 Qc7
6. Nc3 a6
7. Be2 Nf6
8. O-O Be7
9. Be3 d6
10. f4 O-O
So far we have had a Taimanov Sicilian leading to a fairly typical 'hedgehog' position. The usual strategy for White here would be restrain Black's freeing pawn moves ...b5 and ...d5 with a move like 11 Rc1 or 11 Bf3 and slowly trying to turn his space advantage into an attack. Gold opts for the more direct attacking route, exposing his own king.
11. g4!? Rd8
12. g5 Ne8
13. Qe1 Bf8?!
Unnecessarily defensive. Black should be activating his queenside by either 13...Rb8 & 14..b6, or exchanging knights on d4 followed by Bd7-c6.
14. Rf3 Nxd4
15. Bxd4 f5
Though stopping the perennial threat of f4-f5-f6, this move creates new weaknesses on the a2-g8 diagonal.
16. Qf2 Qf7
17. exf5 exf5
18. Re3 Be6
19. Bf3! Kh8?!
Not 19...Bxc4? 20 b3 and the bishop cannot move without losing Black's queen to a pin on d5. Now c4 is threatened but Black's last chance for counterplay lay in 19...Nc7! bolstering d5 & e6 and activating his pieces after 20 Bxb7 Rab8 21 Bg2 Bxc4 22 b3 Be6.
20. Nd5 Bxd5
21. Bxd5 Qh5
22. Bf3! Qf7
23. Qh4! Nc7
24. Be2?! ---
Gold's feel for this type of position shows in that he ignores several opportunities to take the b7 pawn, encroaching on the kingside instead. But here he misses a chance to end the game with 25 Bh5! Qg8! (25 ... Qxc4 26 Bg6 Qg8 27 Rh3 forces mate) 26 Bg6 and Black can only temporarily prevent the mating plan of 27 Rh3, 28 Bxh7 Q moves 29 Bg6+ etc by giving up his knight with 26 ... Ne6.
25. --- Ne6?!
Instead 25 ... Kg8! allowing 26 Rh3 to be met by g6 was better.
25. Rh3 Qg8
26. Bc3 Be7?
The only way to prolong the game was the pawn sac 26...d5! 27 cxd5 Bc5+ 28 Kf1 Nf8 freeing the queen from defending h7. With the black royalty bottled up in the corner, White calmly brings up his reserves. Black is helpless.
27. Bf3 Nc7
28. Re1 Re8
29. Bh5 h6
30. Bxe8 Rxe8
31. Qxh6+
1-0
Solution: 1 Re8+ Bf8 2 Bh6! Qxd5 (or any) 3 Rxf8#.